Cloudy Stuff From Filter

[number20121]

As some might know, I accidentally killed most of my cycle. Or at least part of it, not sure. Anyway.

This morning I did a big water change again because yesterday I didn't have the time and I could see how the water started to get cloudy after only 3 days... So I changed 80% of the water. I took the HOB filter off, emptied the dirty water in it, rinsed the filter media as always, rinsed the filter itself to get any dead bacteria out because I was adding Nutrafin Cycle afterward.

All done, putting it back together, filter media back in, fill the thing with water from the tank, plug it back in, and and a gush of cloudy water comes right out the filter and into the tank.

The water is still very clear compared to before and the fish act fine, so I'm not sure what that was. It came out BEFORE I added the Nutrafin Cycle, so it wasn't that stuff. Could it be calcium that was trapped in the filter media? Or salt? Or what?

I am not worrying about the fish, I don't think I have reason to, really. I'm just curious.

EDIT: Sorta unrelated to the cloud, but I DO clean off the longish brown algae that's on parts of the filter, right?

Edited October 26, 2010 by Oerba Yun Fang

[Helen]

i get the same when i fiddle with the filters, wash or anything.. did the cloudiness have some particles in it too?

have you added coral to the filter? that can do it too..

[Captain Findus Goldfish]

I think you got cloudy water because your cycle was trying to come back - I think you were seeing bacteria

what are your params? the CYCLE should really help to stabilize everything.

[number20121]

I didn't t take the water params before changing the water. The last time I did was a couple days ago, and it was 0.5/0/0. I got crushed coral, but it is not in the filter but mixed in with the gravel.

I know also know that I didn't really need the crushed coral, as the test strips gave me wrong readings of the tap water, showing it would have only 6 pH or so, when in fact it is around 7.5.

I bought only a small bottle of the cycle stuff as we had like hardly any money left until thursday, and need to get gas for the car etc. It says on there to add 25ml per 10 gallons on the first day for an ALL NEW tank. I don't consider mine all new and completely uncycled, but I still added the 25ml x 5 for the 55 gallons. I'll add the rest in tomorrow.

So I DO clean off the brown algae, right?

[koko]

Yeah if you clean it off dont do a water change, let it get sucked up in the filter this will help some

[number20121]

I wiped off the brown algae on the water outlet, and brushed the inside of the actual intake because it seemed to get a bit plugged by the algae inside. I left all the brown algae that was in the filter intake tube and media containers though.

[koko]

Now let the filter suck all the good bb's from that

[Choochoo]

When You rinsed out Your filter and it's media , did You use tap water ?

If You did so , this would kill any beneficial bacteria , and kill Your cycle.

Allways use dechlorinated water , tank water in a bucket works great.

[Helen]

fang, did you rinse the coral? i rinsed mine heeeeaps and i still got cloudy water from it..

[number20121]

When You rinsed out Your filter and it's media , did You use tap water ?

If You did so , this would kill any beneficial bacteria , and kill Your cycle.

Allways use dechlorinated water , tank water in a bucket works great.

Tank water! But either way, my cycle was already dead as I forgot to plug the filter back in days ago and had it off for 17 hours. Which is the reason that I had really cloudy water and had to do daily water changes and had to add Nutrafin Cycle this morning.

stakos, I did rinse the coral. But I do not keep it in the filter, I have it on the bottom of the tank, so I don't think the cloud would have been caused by the coral, as it came out of the filter